Along the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
Sunagakure's garrison forces were encamped there.
A heavy atmosphere hung over every Sunagakure shinobi.
Fatigue was written on every face, along with growing frustration.
According to their schedule, they should have already entered the Land of Lightning days ago to share in the spoils of war.
But now, they were still being delayed.
"Still no news?" Inside the command tent, Fourth Kazekage Rasa wore a straw hat, the brim casting a shadow over his eyes.
A Sunagakure shinobi in charge of communications lowered his head and said with difficulty, "The Land of Earth… is still using the excuse of complicated handover procedures and demands that we remain on standby."
Before he could finish speaking.
"Nonsense!"
Before Rasa could respond, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind slammed his hand on the table.
Tea splashed everywhere.
His face darkened with anger as he gritted his teeth.
"Complicated procedures?"
"What an ugly excuse!"
"They're clearly afraid we'll get a share of the profits!"
He snapped open his folding fan, tapping it irritably against his palm.
The path through the Land of Earth had been agreed upon during the Daimyo Conference.
However, when it came time to actually move, the Land of Earth began throwing up endless obstacles.
First, they claimed the supply route to the Land of Lightning's interior needed urgent repairs.
This excuse alone kept them waiting in place for two days.
They could only watch time pass, growing more and more anxious.
Then came another excuse, that bandits in the surrounding villages and towns needed to be cleared out.
Another two days lost.
By now, both Rasa and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind understood clearly.
All of these so-called "reasons" were nothing more than stalling tactics from the Land of Earth.
And now, even after finally reaching the border, they were once again blocked with the excuse of "procedures."
Once might be an accident.
Twice, maybe a coincidence.
But three times, four times… this was clearly deliberate.
Obstruction.
Harassment.
Humiliation.
"Daimyo-sama, please restrain your anger." Rasa suppressed his own fury and spoke in a low voice. "We are currently in the Land of Earth's territory, and the situation remains unclear. Direct confrontation is unwise."
He calmly analyzed the situation.
They were, after all, guests.
If they took the initiative to cause trouble, it would only lead to disaster.
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!"
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind roared, throwing his folding fan to the ground.
"To gather that 2.5 billion ryō for the Land of Fire, I practically emptied the national treasury!"
"And now?" He jabbed a finger toward the north. "We paid the money!"
"Where's the meat?"
"We can't even get a sip of the soup!"
"Those two bastards!"
The "bastards" naturally referred to the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
"They must already be in Kumogakure, sweeping up all the good stuff!"
"Those precious Ninjutsu scrolls!"
"Those rare minerals!"
"Wealth accumulated over generations!"
"All of it, all of it, all of it!" With every word, his anger surged. His face turned red, and veins bulged at his temples.
Rasa remained silent. His heart bled just as much.
For the past few days, the intelligence coming from the Land of Lightning had been like sharp blades, constantly cutting at his nerves.
The Land of Earth, relying on its geographical advantage of bordering the Land of Lightning, had been the first to charge into Kumogakure.
They directly seized the village's Ninjutsu archives and armory.
Those secret techniques that countless shinobi had once yearned for were now in Iwagakure's hands.
The Land of Water followed right behind.
With their powerful Water Release shinobi, they quickly occupied the coastal ports connected to the outside world.
And secured control over all maritime trade routes.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Water were both profiting madly.
And what about the Land of Wind?
Rasa forced a bitter smile.
They were stuck here, helplessly camped in this desolate borderland.
Eating nothing but air.
Just then—
The tent flap was suddenly thrown open.
A shinobi in charge of intelligence rushed inside.
His body was covered in dust, clearly having ridden at full speed.
"Kazekage-sama! Daimyo-sama!"
"New intel from the Land of Lightning!"
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, still seething with rage, immediately jumped to his feet.
"Speak!"
The shinobi reported, "According to our informants…"
"The Land of Earth has fully taken over the mining operations of Kumogakure's mineral resources."
"And…" He glanced at the Daimyo, who already looked like he was about to explode, then continued, "They've declared that all mines are public assets of the supervised zone."
"Until a new distribution plan is decided, all profits will be kept in Iwa's custody."
Upon hearing that—
Rasa's expression immediately turned grim.
"Also…"
The Anbu continued.
"The Land of Water has signed a cooperation agreement with the Land of Lightning's merchant guilds."
"All trade in and out of the Land of Lightning must go through their ports."
"And they've imposed a heavy peace-maintenance tax on all transactions."
The intel was long.
But every line made the faces of the Daimyo and Rasa darker and darker.
Yet among all the words, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could only hear two.
Custody.
Cooperation.
His vision spun.
His body swayed, nearly collapsing from rage.
What the hell were "custody" and "cooperation"?
This was blatant robbery!
Naked looting!
Those two bastards weren't just reaping profits anymore.
They didn't even intend to leave behind a single scrap!
They weren't even pretending anymore!
"Bastards… How dare they!!" the Daimyo shrieked, his face twisted in fury.
"What about the Land of Fire?" Rasa asked. The Four Nations Alliance was initiated by them. Their stance was crucial.
The shinobi replied, "According to the agreement, the Land of Fire has already stationed troops in the southern plains."
"So far, they haven't made any moves that violate the alliance terms."
"Good! Understood!" Rasa waved him off.
Then he turned to the Daimyo. "Daimyo-sama, we must act now."
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind paced back and forth inside the tent, his eyes narrowing.
After a long moment—
"Prepare my carriage!"
"I'm going to see that Daimyo of the Land of Earth!"
But just as the words left his mouth.
He seemed to reconsider, then quickly turned to Rasa.
"No. Send my orders!"
"Deliver a formal letter of protest!"
"One to the Land of Earth!"
"One to the Land of Water!"
"The wording must be as harsh as possible!"
He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed to slits.
"And send one more to the Land of Fire!"
"Tell Daimyo Arashi!"
"He must uphold justice for us!"
"Otherwise…"
"This so-called Four Nations Alliance will be dissolved on the spot!"
"We, the Land of Wind, will no longer participate!"
When the Daimyo of the Land of Wind spoke those final words, his voice was filled with desperation.
Like a fish thrashing before death.
Rasa looked at the enraged Daimyo before him, feeling a deep chill in his heart.
He understood clearly.
This so-called Four Nations Alliance was now nothing more than an empty name.
(To be continued.)